Will restart 'andolan' if OROP is not implemented: Anna Hazare

Updated: Nov 02, 2016 19:52 IST

Ahmednagar (Maharashtra), Nov. 2(ANI): Social Activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday said that the Centre's betrayal to the nations' ex-servicemen over the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme resulted in the suicide of Ram Kishan Grewal, and threatened to restart his agitation on the implementation of the scheme.

"Earlier the government had promised that the OROP will be implemented and we trusted them, which is why we stopped our protest," Anna said.

Stating that it was unfortunate that an ex-serviceman committed suicide over the failure of the scheme's implementation, the activist stated that on one hand the government glorifies soldiers and on the other hand doesn't fulfill promises.

Speaking to ANI here, Anna further said that armed forces put themselves on the line of fire in testing conditions to protect the country, yet their very right has been denied to them.

"No harm in fighting for your own right and we are not begging in front of anybody," Hazare said on launching a protest again.

In his suicide note, he said that he is taking such an extreme step for the sake of the soldiers.

The Police said that he along with some other ex-servicemen were in the process of submitting a memorandum to the Defence Ministry over the issue of OROP.

Grewal was a resident of Bumla village in Bhiwani, Haryana.

Ex-servicemen have been protesting over the OROP scheme introduced by the government.

Earlier, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who was detained today after he tried to meet the kin of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal, lashed out at the Delhi Police for arresting the former jawan's family besides himself.

Rahul Gandhi was stopped close to the gates of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here when he went to meet the family of the victim Grewal.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was also 'forcibly removed' from the hospital premises after he went to meet the grieving family. He later tweeted, "I had gone to the hospital to meet the family of the ex-serviceman, not to launch a dharna. What mistake have I done?"

The police also detained Jaswant Grewal, the son of Subedar Grewal, after he joined AAP workers in impromptu protests outside the hospital. Gandhi called Jaswant's detention a "shame."

The Trinamool Congress also joined the beeline stating that its representative is on his way to the national capital to chime in the developments.

Subedar Grewal's family wants the government to fulfill the demands that he made in a petition that he planned to hand over to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar later on Tuesday.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has sought details of the incident.(ANI)